Lightning Source Printing On Demand

Self-publishing is now an attractive option for authors who can manage the production of their manuscript themselves, and who need to work with a limited budget.  It offers a time into print of only a few weeks and providing you use a company which prints on demand, there is no need for expensive stock standing around unsold.

Given the recent advances in printing technology, there are several print on demand services to aid the self-publisher but the major problem is access to the distribution channels.  Print on demand means quite simply that someone orders the book and only then is it printed.  But how can an author get orders for the book?

Traditional publishers use their established outlets for advertising and promotion but the self-publisher has none of these.  Companies such as Lulu.com have online shops and of course they take a cut of any sales revenue, and their exposure doesn't compare with Amazon.

Lightning Source is a subsidiary of the Ingram corporation and has close links with Amazon both the in UK and the US so as a print on demand company it can offer excellent distribution facilities for the self-publisher.

How does LS work?

LS acts solely as the print on demand company, and you the author are also the publisher.  As far as LS is concerned, you are responsible for all marketing and publicity and they are solely responsible for the production.  However, they also guarantee access to the major book databases such as Barnes and Noble, and you get a listing on Amazon.

LS charges a setup fee when you upload the digital files and once they are submitted any corrections cost extra.  LS provides detailed guidance on the format and layout, even providing a template file in various formats.   Based on the chosen size and extent, you can get details of the spine width and then either produce your own cover or use their templates.

The finances are very simple.  For each book printed, LS charges a fixed amount.  You the author decide how much wholesale discount to offer Amazon, typically between 20% and 60%, and you fix the cover price.  You get the difference.  For example, a book that costs $4 to print with a cover price of $12 and a wholesale discount of 30%, will net the author $4.40 per book printed.  That compares very favourably with commercial publishers who will typically offer 50-60% wholesale discount.  An author is lucky to get 10% of the cover price.

In addition, with commercial publishers trying to place books in bookshops there is the question of stock.  Stock which was optimistically supplied to booksellers which ends up being returned is often charged against the author.  Printing on demand has no standing stock and no returns.  Every order is a sale.

What do you need to do?

Setting up the LS account is simply a question of providing them with details including card numbers to charge you for setting up the files.  Next you need a finished manuscript and ISBN number, and data about the book including the size, type of paper, extent, prices in different currencies, and some categories in which to place it.  This is all very simple with the exception of the ISBN number.

Each country has an agency which sells the numbers.  In the US it's the Bowker corporation, in the UK it's Nielsens.  They normally issue the numbers in batches of 10, 100, or 1000 and as a self-publisher, you only want them one at a time.  Too bad.  You can hunt around for someone else who will sell you one but they then become the publisher and not you.  Some countries, such as Spain, give out the numbers free but it depends where you live.

If you choose to use LS to produce your template (free) they will produce the barcode for you as well and it can contain the price.  If you choose not to have the price included in the bar code then any shop that decided to order stock may charge you for the stickers to indicate the price.  If you decide to produce the barcode graphic yourself, you need to meet the stringent requirements of LS, so it is typically better to use their template containing the barcode and modify around it.

Producing the files to upload takes some care.  They must conform to the LS guidelines and they will reject those that don't and you then get charged again for resubmission so it pays to be careful.  The manuscript should be not just completed, but proof-read, edited thoroughly, and all details such as page numbers, running heads, titles, front matter, copyright lines, index, and appendices, properly positioned and checked.  This work should really all be done up front before contacting LS.  Rushing is your enemy.

There is a choice of formats for uploading but PDF is preferred and I used OpenOffice.org which is a free word processor, easily the equivalent of Microsoft Word, which exports directly to PDF.  Producing the cover with a graphics package will also require some conversion to PDF unless an expensive package is used which provides the export facility.  Again there are open source conversion utilities available to produce the PDF though you do need to be fairly adept with software.

If the IT work involved worries you, you can pay LS to do it for you.

Getting up and running with Amazon

Depending on the LS contracts you signed, you will be automatically listed on Amazon.  If you signed a POD contract for the UK, Europe and the US, you will get coverage on Amazon.com and also Amazon.co.uk.

You can then sit back and wait for the orders but any book will take some promotional activity and LS does none of it.  The responsibility for all publicity and promotion is yours.  Signing up as an Amazon author gives you access to their AuthorCentral site which lets you run a blog and add publicity material but you will almost certainly need to create a website and direct traffic to Amazon.  Amazon Associates provides you with some incentive to do this too.

Overall?

Having published using through Lightning Source (details on my profile), I can recommend it as a relatively easy method for getting a book out with minimal outlay and minimal delay.  For books which expect to have a low sales number, you can break even quicker and with less risk, but the onus is on you to do the publicity and promotion.  LS will do a bulk printing for you at a discount if you need review copies or freebies.

For those writing family memoires or specialised books, this is an excellent and convenient way to get into print.